Little Victories
by heyitskristi
Summary: Oneshots! 5: Rapunzel's terrified of a storm, but luckily Eugene is there to keep her distracted.
1. You're Beautiful

**Little Victories – **a series of sporadically updated oneshots focused on Flynn and Rapunzel adjusting to life in a castle. Varying genres and subject matters and maybe even points of view. Inspired by the song "Little Victories" by Matt Nathanson.

_And I'll be awful sometimes_

_Weakened to my knees_

_But I'll learn to get by_

_On little victories_

**- **Matt Nathanson

**1. You're Beautiful**

Flynn was lost in the castle again. The multitude of corridors and passageways could confuse even the most talented of thieves. He'd been looking for Rapunzel when, after about twenty minutes of walking in the direction he thought her royal suite was, he realized that he was going in the completely wrong direction. He stopped in the hallway and frowned, trying to figure out where in the castle he was. Maybe if he could figure out which direction – east, maybe? – he was facing, he could find his way back to where he started. He knew his particular room, which was smaller than Rapunzel's suite but still pretty lavish for a guy who spent most of his life sleeping on a floor, faced west toward the setting sun, so maybe if he could find a window—

A voice coming from behind him made him jump.

"Ah, Mr. Fitzherbert. What on earth are you doing all the way over here?"

Flynn, recovered from the embarrassing flinch he'd just had, turned to face the King and smiled innocently. "Your Majesty. I got lost looking for Rapun—the princess."

The King narrowed his eyes and looked from Eugene to the priceless paintings and statues that lined this particular hallway. "Is that so?"

Flynn cleared his throat. "Uh… yeah. I've never walked around the inside of this place, really. Just scaled the out— Ahem. Anyway, I thought Rapunzel, I mean, the princess, would like to go outside. She hasn't been in the city since the celebration."

It had been three weeks since Rapunzel had come to her true home. There had been a weeklong celebration in her honor. Flynn was able to show her more sights around the capital. She'd obviously enjoyed her time outside. The celebration helped keep her mind off of the last time she was in that god-awful tower, and now she had loads of free time in the castle. The King and Queen were reluctant to let her leave.

The King sighed and looked ashamedly at the marble floor. "We have been keeping her here, just like that awful witch."

"You're just protecting her, your majesty," Flynn said, feeling a strange mix of guilty and protective. "I'm sure she knows that."

The King cleared his throat and smiled sadly at Flynn. "Call me Francis, boy. I don't want you calling me 'your majesty' anymore. I can tell how Rapunzel feels about you. You're obviously going to be here a while, so don't ruin it."

Flynn smiled proudly this time. "Francis. That's a much better name than Eugene."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

He eventually found Rapunzel in the highest tower of the castle. It was mostly unused, save for guards who needed to keep an eye on the borders, so dust filtering through the last dregs of sunlight blinded him for a moment. For a second, all he saw was her petite silhouette, then, as he stepped forward on the creaky floorboards and whispered her name, she whipped around, startled, and gasped.

"Eugene! You scared me." She tucked a short brown section of hair behind her ear and smiled up at him. "I was just looking out at the kingdom. There's a wonderful view from this window."

Flynn frowned at her. "Why do you seem so sad?"

She blinked. "What? What do you mean? I'm not sad!"

He raised an eyebrow. Then she started babbling.

"Alright. I—I cried at a maid today. I didn't mean to, but she said something that upset me, a compliment, really, and I just couldn—"

"You cried?" Flynn was shocked. He couldn't picture her crying in front of someone over something as trivial as a compliment. Ever.

Rapunzel looked off to his left, anything to avoid eye contact, and shrugged. "Like I said, I didn't mean to, and I—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Flynn put his hands up to stop her from continuing. "Hold up, Blondie. What did she say to you that would upset you so much?"

She didn't say anything for a minute. Instead, she stepped forward and hugged Flynn, hiding her face against his chest. He hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head. Then she said, "Caroline, the maid, said I was pretty."

Flynn frowned again. When he didn't say anything, Rapunzel continued. "Mother—I mean Gothel—never said I looked pretty. She told me I was plain and would never be as beautiful as she was. Only, when I met you, I felt like I might be pretty. You know?"

He felt her tears soak through his shirt and he held her closer, wanting to protect her from something that happened long before he met her.

"And so, after Caroline told me that, I just started crying. I have no idea why. Then I got embarrassed and ran out of the room. I didn't want to face anyone, so I found this place. For some reason, being up here is calming."

"Rapunzel," he finally choked out. "You're beautiful."

She sobbed more. "You really think so?"

He pulled back and smiled at her. Using his thumb, he gently brushed away the tears on her face and then tilted her head up so she could look right into his face.

"Yes. I really think so." He leaned down and watched as her eyes closed, waiting for a kiss. He smile as he closed his eyes and their lips touched, gently at first, then not so gently as she reached up around his neck and brought him closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up and spun her around the small room. They broke apart, laughing, and held hands all the way back down to the dining room to meet her parents for supper.

* * *

Later that night, Flynn lay in his bed, thinking about Gothel's effect on Rapunzel and his own time at the orphanage.

He'd been one of the few older kids, and he went along with them to get food for their caretaker to cook for everyone. More than once they'd been spit at in their dirty hand-me-down clothes. Once, he'd been told that he was worthless, a nobody.

But the worst thing was the pitying glance, the I-Feel-So-Sorry-For-You look that often graced the women of the working class who passed by the small group in the market. Those were worse than anything anyone actually said. Those looks made young Eugene feel sick to his stomach. He turned to the Tales of Flynnigan Rider and imagined a life where no one looked down on him.

But Rapunzel had been abused by the one person she trusted the most, who also happened to be the only person she knew. He'd only met the woman once, when she'd stabbed him, but Rapunzel had to deal with the witch her whole life. As he was trying to imagine Rapunzel growing up all alone, his door creaked open.

"Who's there?" he whispered. He sat up, blinking in the light from the hallway.

"It's just me," Rapunzel whispered back. She poked her head in the door. "Can I come in?"

"Rapunzel? Yeah, you can come in."

He heard her feet pad across the floor, then his bed sink in as she sat down next to him. Finally, his vision cleared enough in the harsh new light so he could see her. She had obviously come from her own bed, as she was wearing a thick, white linen nightgown. She was sitting cross-legged on the foot of his bed, grinning at him widely.

"What brings you here, beautiful?" he said, moving closer towards her and flashing a smolder-like smile.

She laughed, shoving him away gently. "What did you call me?"

He grinned at her genuinely this time. She was already becoming more confident. He felt immensely proud to be able to have this effect on her.

"Beautiful?" he said like he was unsure. "Did you come all the way to hear me call you beautiful?"

She smiled, guilty. "Maybe…"

He pulled on her arm so she fell forward against his chest. She blinked up at him, noticing the change in mood this caused.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. He leaned forward to kiss her for the second time that day. This kiss was slower, heavier than the first had been. He brought his hands up to cup her face, and she rested hers on his chest. Soon his lips parted and he ran his tongue across her own, warm, inviting, swollen lips, asking for permission.

She gasped, breaking the contact. He froze, looking apologetically at her as she touched her lips with her fingertips, then reached out and touched his. He closed his eyes, praying for some self-control.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just got caught up."

"It's okay. I—I was just a little surprised. That felt so good," she said.

"Yeah, I know." He shrugged. They stared at each other. The tension in the air was so thick it was hard to breathe.

Then, as if she couldn't take being in the room for one more second, she jumped off of the bed and ran to the door.

"Well, goodnight! See you tomorrow!" she called as she opened the door and stepped into the light of the hall.

"Goodnight," he groaned, falling back against the pillows as she slammed the door shut behind her.

She was too beautiful for her own good.


	2. The Best Birthday Ever

**AN:** I couldn't help myself. I had to write this. Later updates probably won't happen as quickly.

Anyway, thanks for such a warm response! I was expecting maybe two reviews, and to my surprise, I got six, and a lot more people favorite'd and put this on their alert list. So thank you very much! It helped me write this oneshot. I hope you enjoy it!

_And I'll learn to get by  
On the little victories  
And if the world decides to catch up with me  
It's a little victory._

– Matt Nathanson

**2. The Best Birthday Ever**

"Eugene?"

"Hm?"

"When is your birthday?"

Flynn glances up from the book he's reading to find Rapunzel looking back at him with a quizzical look on her face. He realizes this is going to take a while so he puts the book down on the table next to his red velvet chair and drags a hand through his perfect hair. She waits patiently on a couch across from where he sits. Pascal, on her shoulder, also looks at him with a questioning look on his little face.

He knows that this question would have come sooner or later, but he had no warning. How is he going to explain the orphan life to her? They had bigger things than birthdays to worry about. Like being warm at night. And how many meals they were going to have that day.

"Eugene?"

"Well, Blondie. I don't know when my birthday is," he says, rubbing his hand on his neck. "I never have. I just don't think about it."

She narrows her eyes at him. Then she starts laughing. "That's funny, Eugene. Everyone has to have a birthday!"

"I know I have one," he says indignantly, as if she's insulted his intelligence. "I just don't know when it is."

She thinks for a moment, staring thoughtfully into the distance with her hand on her chin. He doesn't know if she's seen someone do this clichéd pose in the short time they've been here in the castle, but she does it perfectly. He watches her with a blank look on his face and wonders what kind of evil torture she's going to put him through. He hopes she doesn't throw him a party. He could survive a few more decades without dancing again.

"I know!"

He cries on the inside.

"I'll make one week from today your birthday! I'll need a whole week to plan and get everything ready, so next week is perfect. Isn't that a good idea?"

One look at her excited face and he knows he's lost. He died for her. He could put up with a party or two. Maybe. If dancing wasn't included in the festivities. He sighs.

"Whatever. Just don't make me dance, okay?" he says as he picks up his book, slouches down in the huge chair, and rests one boot on the armrest his back isn't against.

"This will be even better than my birthday was," Rapunzel says mostly to the frog. _Traitor. _"We'll have a huge cake, lanterns, of course, and presents! And lots and lots of guests! To make up for all the years you didn't celebrate!"

Flynn doesn't even look up from his book. "Sure, sounds great!"

On the inside, he's dying a slow, painful death.

He spends the rest of the week on edge. He sneaks around corners, asks the cooks loaded questions, stares down Rapunzel as she hums quietly to herself while sewing the frog a shirt.

He finds no evidence of a large party being planned, but he grows increasingly suspicious. Three days after her decision to celebrate his "birthday", he and the frog have a staring contest that lasts nearly ten minutes before Rapunzel waltzes in the room, excitedly describing her princess lesson of the day. He listens and comments in all the right places as she describes how to behave at a state dinner, but the whole time he wonders what kind of torment she has already been able to plan for him.

That night, she disappears for three hours, leaving everyone frantic and worried. Flynn wonders what kind of trouble she's gotten herself into as he shoves on his older pair of boots and gets ready to go searching for her. It's useless getting ready, though, as she flings open his door right as he reaches out to open it, banging his head in the process.

He wakes up on the floor and sees her face a mere three inches away. The closeness startles him and he yelps, shocking her and causing her to fall back against the footboard of his bed.

"Blondie!" he exclaims when he remembers the events leading up to him waking up on the floor. "Where have you been?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out in four days," she says, giggling mischievously.

He rubs his head where the door whacked him and groans as he stands up. After his head stops spinning, he offers a hand to Rapunzel to help her up. "Come on, let's show your parents that you're still alive."

"Were they worried?"

"Well, you were missing for eighteen years and when no one sees you for a while, they start to get suspicious."

"Eugene."

"Yes?"

"Were _you_ suspicious?"

Embarrassed silence.

"_Eugene_?"

"Oh, alright! Fine. I was worried about you. You may not have that magic hair anymore, but you're a princess. Be careful, okay?"

She complies, then excitedly shows him some ribbons she found while she was out.

On the fourth day after the verdict, he sneaks around a corner next to the great hall, where all the important royal events take place – like birthday parties, maybe? – he runs straight into Rapunzel herself.

"Hello, Eugene!" she greets him happily as she gathers up the papers she dropped upon impact. He attempts to help, feeling guilty, but she picks up the papers quickly and straightens them before he can react. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Suspicion returns. He leans down and narrows his eyes, trying to be funny, but it doesn't have that effect. Their faces are so close and she wonders if he's going to kiss her again. His eyes widen; he's thinking along the same lines. She drops the papers.

His lips meet hers fiercely, and she wraps her arms around his neck almost instantly. He lifts her up at her waist and presses her back against the wall, not breaking the contact. His thumbs, still at her waist, rub circles in her skin. Her fingers are twisting, pulling in his hair. She sighs happily into his mouth as his tongue pushes past her lips. She copies him by running her tongue against his lips, making him groan in pleasure.

He's so glad he taught her how to do that.

But it ends too quickly. He somehow remembers why he's in this part of the castle and almost reluctantly tears himself from her. He regrets it immediately when he looks at her, sees her against the wall, panting heavily with red cheeks and swollen lips.

"Why'd you stop?" she asks, making him feel even more annoyed with himself.

He has to look away to control himself from ravishing her right there in the hall, where anyone could walk by.

"Just give me a second," he pleads. He breathes deeply. When he looks at her again, she's composed herself as well. Her dress is in order and her hair is in place.

"I'm sorry," she says unsurely. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"No, Rapunzel. I'm not upset." He smiles at her, which makes her smile in return. Suddenly, Pascal peeks out from behind her neck, looking traumatized. "But your frog might be."

Rapunzel takes Pascal into her palms and apologizes profusely. "Oh no! Pascal! I'm so sorry. When Eugene kisses me, I forget about everything!"

Flynn rolls his eyes and begins to walk away. "Have fun with your frog, princess. I'm going to go to the library and read about kittens or something else as sickeningly cute."

"Sure, Eugene. I'll see you at lunch, right? Pascal, I am so, so, so sorry. No, I don't love Eugene more than you. You know you're my number one."

* * *

Before he knows it, it's the night before his "birthday". Rapunzel has been able to keep the celebration a complete surprise. He has no idea how many people are involved, what festivities have been planned, or even what food they will eat. He hopes no one he's victimized will be at this party. That would make things awkward.

He wakes up and it's like any other day. He meets Rapunzel outside the dining room and they smile and look cutely at each other before entering. His fondness of this girl is embarrassing and sometimes gross, but he can't help himself. Inside, her father talks about the new addition to the library he's planning in Rapunzel's honor and her mother comments on the garden and how much Rapunzel has done to bring it to new life.

His "birthday" is not mentioned once, but he swears on his life Rapunzel sends him secret smiles behind her napkin.

The rest of the day is the same. Flynn enters each room slowly, waiting to be ambushed, but nothing ever happens. He feels a little disappointed, honestly, and he wonders if Rapunzel discovered pranks and decided to try one on him.

At lunch, she is the same, unusually quiet and secretive, but obviously not troubled. The King and Queen look between them, trying to figure out what is happening. Rapunzel excuses herself halfway through the meal and essentially runs from the room, leaving three very confused people behind.

Then he discovers that she had cancelled her princess lesson of the day, and he becomes wary again.

At five, a servant hands him a folded piece of paper and runs away. Flynn stares after him, wondering what the hell just happened. He opens the paper.

_Meet me in the tallest tower. – R_

He practically runs there.

What he sees when he gets there is not what he expected. She has cleaned the entire room at the top of the tower, leaving the old wood looking clean and polished. A table is in the middle, covered with a white cloth and at least a dozen lit candles. Two plates are piled high with his favorite foods.

"I hope you like it," Rapunzel says, breaking the astonished silence.

"Are you kidding?" Flynn exclaims. "This is great, Blondie."

"I'm so glad."

Then they grin at each other like the love-struck fools they are and sit down. Rapunzel lets Flynn dig in first, and he does so eagerly.

"I figured out which foods you like the most," she said, "because you eat them last. You save the best for last!"

He laughs between bites.

"Do you like the food?" she asks. He doesn't speak, but answers with a nod. "I made it myself. The cooks thought I was crazy when I asked, but I thought it would mean more if I made it. I knew you wouldn't really enjoy a big party."

"You were right," he tries to tell her, but it comes out more like, "Ooo ere ight."

She laughs this time and they eat in a content silence. When they are both full, Rapunzel stands and takes Flynn's hand. He lets her lead him to the window, where they both watch the sun start to set.

"Eugene," she says, turning to look at him. He grins down at her.

"Hm?"

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Blondie." He's so glad she didn't plan a whole festival for him.

"I have something for you," she says, going back to the table. She lifts the cloth and pulls out a paper lantern much like the ones they launched on her birthday, only this time it's a bluish green color. Using a candle from the table, she lights it and brings it over to him.

"Blondie, this is great," he says as she gives it to him. "Let's let go of it together."

She likes this plan and they stand at the open window, waiting for the sun to disappear beneath the horizon line. When it does, she and Flynn push it up into the air together and watch it rise over the city below them. Flynn wraps an arm around Rapunzel's waist and she snuggles up against his side. When it disappears from their sight, Flynn leans down and kisses her gently. He's able to control himself this time before it gets too far and when he pulls away from her, he whispers, "This is the best birthday I've ever had."


	3. Mister Eugene

**AN: **I'm not really proud of this one, but hopefully you like it. It's kind of short, but it has a lot of words. Maybe that will make up for it?

Thank you again for the warm response! I hope everyone had wonderful holidays, whatever you celebrate, and I hope you have a fantastic New Year's if I don't update before then.

_How Flynn Rider officially starts going by Eugene Fitzherbert again._

**3. Mister Eugene**

We're in the west parlor room and she's using the puppy dog eyes look on me again. It's not fair – she's knows I can't say no when she looks at me like that with those big green eyes. It's really too much for a man like me to handle. I've been through a lot in the past couple of months. Getting arrested, dying, you know, the usual hero stuff. Now it's all Prince Consort lessons, luxurious castle living arrangements, and would-you-like-some-more-wine-with-your-bread-sir. It's very exhausting dating a princess. And now Rapunzel's begging me to start going by my old name again – officially. Really, it's more than I can handle right now. Maybe if I turn around… Nope. I can feel her burning stare in my back.

"Oh, alright," I say when I finally give up. "I'll start going by Eugene again. But I'm telling you, people are going to laugh at me. Do you know how badly that hurts my already bruised ego?"

"Eugene," she says, "they're not going to laugh. They love you now."

"Who doesn't?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

She squeals happily and throws her arms around my neck to hug me. I can't help but smile stupidly and hug her back. Really, what has she done to me? I'm acting like a sap.

"We'll announce it tomorrow. I have to give a speech anyway, to tell everyone how I'm adjusting to life here," she says, pulling away from me. She's told me she can't think around me, and I know the feeling. When she's close to me, all I want to do is get closer. And I can't, because she's a princess who was locked in a tower for the past eighteen years. "It's my first official speech, so it's really important. Also, Mother and Father want me to tell them the whole story. You should give a speech, too!"

It's complicated.

"Me? Give a speech? Tomorrow?" I groan. "Why tomorrow?"

She slaps my arm – a little hard because she still doesn't know her own strength – and as I rub the pain away, she laughs. "The sooner, the better. And besides, don't you _want_ everyone in the kingdom to know who you really are? I mean, besides Mother and Father and the guards?"

I think about that for a second before deadpanning, "No, I don't think so."

She steps toward me again, into the warm orange light coming in from the windows. The sun is setting, so we have to appear at the dining room sooner or later. I don't really care at this point, because in a matter of seconds, she's in my arms and I find that I can't think about anything at all but the scent of her short brown hair and the way she feels against me.

"A fake reputation is not all a man has," she says into my chest.

She's changed me, alright. But I'm starting to not mind it so much.

"Are you sure you want to wear this, sir?" my servant asks me the next afternoon. He looks at my vest in the mirror with a disapproving look on his face. "No offense to you, sir, but it isn't exactly princely."

I have a servant. This, my friends, is the high life. And, okay, the guy thinks I'm annoying and unworthy – pretty much like everyone else in the castle – but whatever. He gets paid a ridiculous amount of gold crowns just because he has to put up with me so I don't feel very sorry for him.

"What do you mean, 'Are you sure?'? Of course I'm sure." But I still check my reflection in the mirror before I go back to the closet and find a belt that will match my new vest. It's just like my old one, but without dirt and bloodstains on it. I feel very heroic while wearing it. So what if it's not what a prince would wear? I'm not a prince, so I don't care.

Plus, I look really good in blue. It makes me look tan.

"Well, if you're sure, sir." He folds up the clothes I wore earlier to breakfast and to my lesson and mumbles grumpily to himself.

Seriously. As if I wasn't nervous enough. Now my servant is making me feel self-conscious. Just to make sure, I go back to the mirror and check my teeth and hair. I feel better when I see no food stuck between my teeth and every strand of hair in place.

When someone knocks on the door, the servant opens it for me.

"It's the princess, sir," he says. I brighten and rush over to the door, sliding a little because I haven't put on my boots yet.

"Rapunzel! What are you doing here?" I ask, taking in her appearance. She's wearing her crown today, which is unusual. I also notice she's wearing a new dress. It looks really good on her. Pascal is with her, and, much to my disappointment, he crawls over to me and changes to the same color blue as my vest. I pluck him off me and hand him back to Rapunzel. He chirps unhappily at me. The frog's gotten attached to me. Gross.

"I came to make sure you weren't going to run away, Eugene Fitzherbert," she says with a smirk. She's picked up my bad habits. But she looks way better with that smirk than I do.

I frown at her and cross my arms. "Run away? Eugene Fitzherbert does not run away. He escapes."

The servant hands me my boots and drags me over to a chair so I can put them on. Rapunzel follows us and sits on the edge of my bed as I struggle with the new leather. I'm not used to boots that have laces and I stare at them blankly for a moment.

"Are you ready for your big speech?" I ask her, as the servant, fed up with waiting, swats my hands away and ties up the laces himself.

"I think so," she says, wringing her hands anxiously. "I just hope it's not too boring."

"It won't be," I say, because I know.

The servant finishes with the laces, so I stand and take Rapunzel's hand to help her up. Even though she's obviously nervous, she grins at me and I can't help but grin back. I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but I'm going with it.

"Rapunzel, Eugene," the Queen greets us as we join her and the King a little later in a room just inside the courtyard. She reaches out for a hug from Rapunzel, who happily accepts. "Are you ready for your appearances?"

"Yes!" Rapunzel exclaims as I say, at the same time, "Sure, whatever."

The King laughs. When we first got here, I was surprised at how nice he was to me. When I bluntly asked him why, he'd said, "Come on, you can't be that bad."

So, yeah. He thinks I'm a phony. Which I am, but I thought I was able to hide it. Oh well.

Rapunzel returns to my side and grabs my hand. She looks up at me with a big smile on her face and says, "I know you'll do a great job."

I squeeze her hand in acknowledgement, because somehow my throat's closed up and I can't seem to be able to speak anymore.

The King and Queen stand in front of the door leading to the courtyard and hold hands. Rapunzel and I stand behind them, and the doors open. We're not going to be on the balcony this time. We're going to be right at the level of the people. There's a small stage, though, so everyone can see. But we're not going to be really looking down on everyone.

It was my idea. A good one, too.

After the servant announces our arrival, we enter the courtyard together. I'm always amazed at the cheers that erupt when the King and Queen hold things like this. Everyone loves them.

The King and Queen speak first, about how delightful it is to have their princess back. They mention the shock of finding out how Flynn Rider helped her return by stealing the crown and accidentally returning it to its rightful owner. The crowd laughs and I shrug, embarrassed. Then they introduce Rapunzel, and, after the crowd dies down, she makes her way to the podium. Before she stands up, I squeeze her hand. She seems more nervous than she was before.

She starts by describing her childhood in the tower. I've heard most of this privately, so I focus on the audience's reaction. Many are frowning, others look shocked. Little kids cling to their mothers. I can tell that they're wondering how she can be so… normal after such a sad childhood. When she describes seeing the lanterns every year on her birthday, people look happier. She tells them how she decided to ask Gothel if she could leave the tower just once to see them up close and how Gothel refused.

She smiles when she mentions my arrival at the tower. I can't really see her face from my position on the stage, but I can tell she's smiling by the way her voice sounds. As she recounts those two days, the audience laughs and gasps in all the right places. When she finishes that part of her story, she talks about her arrival at the castle and the changes it has brought to her life.

"I really love this kingdom," she says. "Everyone I've met since leaving that tower has been so wonderful, and I am trying my best to learn how to become the same kind of ruler my parents are. And now, Eugene Fitzherbert will speak."

The crowd switched from clapping to confused side conversations. It's even worse when I stand up. Even though it's been a few weeks, most people still know me by Flynn Rider. When I pass Rapunzel on my way to the podium, she smiles at me and the sick feeling in my stomach goes away for a second.

At the podium, I begin my speech. The crowd has gotten so quiet that it makes me even more nervous.

Me? Nervous?

I guess I'm not really Flynn Rider anymore.

Later, when I'm lying on my bed hoping I didn't make a fool of myself out there, my door opens and someone comes in. I don't have to wonder who it is, though, since only Rapunzel would do this. She lays down next to me and takes my hand. I didn't bother changing clothes or getting under the covers yet so when she scoots over closer, our sides are touching.

"You did a really good job, Eugene," she whispers.

"Thanks, Blondie," I say, squeezing her hand.

"I think telling them your story helped them like you more, you know?"

Despite my embarrassment at my real name, I know she's right. It turns out that backstories help people figure out why you do what you do. Who knew?

"Thank you for putting up with all of this," she says sadly. "I know you hate this kind of stuff."

"It is pretty horrible," I say without thinking.

I really regret it when she starts whispering again. "You know, if it's too much, the royal stuff, I mean, you can leave. I don't want you to hate it here. But if you do, I guess I could understand."

"Whoa, Blondie," I say, turning on my side so I can see her. "I don't care about all that stuff as long as I can be next to you at the end of it all, like we are right now."

She smiles and I can see the tears disappear. "Oh Eugene," she sighs. She moves even closer and rests her head against my collarbone. It can't be comfortable, but she stays there. She's so small that when I wrap my arm around her, my body is practically surrounding hers. It's really nice, this feeling. It's relaxing but exciting at the same time. I could stay like this forever.

A few minutes later, I make her go back to her room so I don't become a criminal again.

The servant returns to "help" me get dressed for breakfast and greets me with the usual pleasantries I've come to expect from him.

"Good morning, _Mister Eugene_."


	4. The Thief's New Clothes

**AN: **I don't know when I'll be able to update again, as I'll be moving back into my dorm room Monday, and my new classes start immediately. Just a heads up.

This oneshot is dedicated to FuyuSarah, without whom this would not have been written. Thank you!

**4. The Thief's New Clothes **

Someone was throwing rocks at his window. He sank deeper into the bed, hoping it would go away. It didn't. He grimaced as another small rock banged into the glass just feet away from him.

"Stop it," he mumbled. "I'm trying to _sleep_."

"Eugene!"

Now someone was at his door.

"Eugene, wake up!"

"Go away!"

"Oh, good, you're awake!" The person burst through the door and he saw a mass of purple velvet jump on him. He immediately forgot about the tapping on the window. "Good morning, Eugene!"

He stuck his head in the pillow once again. "I'm sleeping."

"Not anymore!" Rapunzel said, pulling him back up. Pascal chirped happily and raced down Rapunzel's arm to Eugene's face. He tapped his little hand on Eugene's cheek. "We have a surprise for you!"

"We?" Now he was wide awake. "Who's 'we'?"

"Master Eugene," said his servant, knocking politely on the open door before entering. Eugene twitched. He hated being called 'master', and no matter how many times he told the servant, the kid wouldn't drop the title. "The princess has commissioned some new clothes for you."

"Ah, good morning, Patsy!" The servant flinched. Eugene sat up fully and wrapped an arm around Rapunzel, who was looking between the two of them with a confused expression on her face. "It is always a pleasure to see your darling face first thing in the morning."

"Master Eugene, my name is not Patsy," the servant grumbled.

Eugene shrugged. "Well, since you won't tell me your real name after all this time, I'm just going to make stuff up, how does that sound?"

"Oh, Eugene. Stop being mean," Rapunzel said, shoving him playfully. She stood up, moved Pascal from Eugene's shoulder to hers, and put her hands on her hips. "And get up. Mother and Father are already waiting for you to eat breakfast."

Pascal chirped again as if to validate this statement.

Eugene obeyed, "Oh, great. Are they back already?"

No one answered. Rapunzel pulled him in front of his full length mirror and held up some new vests in front of him, testing them out with Pascal making comments that she could somehow understand. Each vest was a different color. Eugene had no choice but to just stand there in horror as Rapunzel held up purple, orange, green, even pink vests up to his reflection.

"I'll think we'll go with the black one," she said to his servant and Pascal. "It makes him look tanner than the blue one, and it's much more regal looking. What do you think, Eugene?"

He couldn't really care less as long as it wasn't the pink one, but he agreed with her to get the fashion show over with. Rapunzel nodded, a fierce look in her eyes. Before he had time to be scared, the servant pulled a screen in between them, then started taking off Eugene's clothes.

"Hey, there," he said, trying to block the attack. "I don't swing that way, Brittany."

"My name is not Brittany," the servant hissed. "And since you are already late, I have no choice but to make sure you arrive well-dressed."

Eugene snorted and allowed himself to be dressed and primped and polished. When his servant was done, he pulled the screen away to reveal Rapunzel waiting patiently on the other side. When she saw how well he looked, a stunning smile appeared on her face. Eugene immediately brightened.

"Morning, beautiful," he said, then winked. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm.

"Thank you, Peter," she said to the servant, who had been folding up all the discarded clothes, when they reached the door.

"His name is Peter?" Eugene whispered to her as they left. "He never told me that. How did you find that out?"

"He told me," she said simply. "People are nice if you don't antagonize them."

He pouted. "I don't _antagonize_ him, I just kid around, you know? You've known this whole time?"

She pulled him along the corridor quickly and ignored his question. "Anyway, Mother and Father are waiting to talk to you. And it's _very_ important."

Eugene could guess what it was. Since they'd been living at the castle for a year, now, everyone was wondering when a royal wedding would take place. But since Rapunzel was the heir to the throne, and he was just a commoner, _she_ was the one who had to propose to _him_. If he'd been a prince, he could have proposed to her anytime he wanted. He wasn't sure if someone had explained that to her yet, because they hadn't really talked about marriage. And he sure didn't want to have the awkward duty of explaining what exactly marriage entailed.

Rapunzel led him to the royal dining hall instead of the small private dining room they normally ate in. Eugene knew the royal couple meant business when he saw their stoic faces as he and Rapunzel sat down opposite each other.

"Good morning," Rapunzel greeted them happily.

Their resigned expressions disappeared, morphing into warm smiles.

"I understand, Eugene," the Queen began once they began to eat, "that you have been visiting the orphanages lately and reading to the children."

"Yes," he said between bites of bacon. "I thought it'd be a good way to kill some time."

The Queen ignored his "kill time" comment and continued. "That is a very good way for a future Prince Consort to spend his time. I'm sure the children enjoy every minute."

"Eugene is very good with children," Rapunzel inserted.

Eugene wondered where this was leading. Was it about marriage or not? They _did_ call him a "future Prince Consort"… "Yeah, and I think the donation your majesties made really helped out. The orphanage directors really appreciate the help."

"So, Eugene," the King interjected, "the royal portrait artist is here today. You will not be able to visit the orphanages."

Eugene lost his appetite. It wasn't marriage they wanted to talk about. It was sitting in the same position for hours while some short guy with a weird accent and mustache barked orders at him. He'd sat through Rapunzel's portrait painting session in sympathetic horror. "So that's why I had to wear this today!"

Rapunzel placed her napkin down calmly. "Eugene, you promised in the hallway not to freak out. Remember? You said 'I promise I will not freak out.'"

He crossed his arms resentfully. "Yes, but I thought this important breakfast meeting was about marriage, not a _painting_."

"Marriage?" Rapunzel gasped. "Why did you think we were going to talk about _marriage_?"

The King and Queen watched as Eugene and Rapunzel argued in front of them.

"Well, because you had me dress like this, and because that's all the women in this castle talk about nowadays!"

"I got those new clothes for you because I wanted to give you something!"

"Then thank you!"

"Then you're welcome!"

They were leaning toward each other, grabbing the edge of the table and breathing heavily when the King excused himself, leaving the Queen to deal with her daughter and the ex-thief. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Fitzherbert," she said. "Please allow me to speak privately with my daughter."

Eugene and Rapunzel suddenly looked really guilty and looked at each other apologetically.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, shooting Rapunzel a sheepish smile.

As he left, he heard the Queen ask, "Rapunzel, has anyone explained anything about marriage to you other than the ceremony?"

Oh, great. It wasn't up to him to explain it after all.

He wandered around and eventually found himself at the stables. Maximus was there, and, once he spotted Eugene, he turned around angrily with his nose in the air.

"Max! Are you mad at me, too?"

Maximus didn't answer, but instead pointed his nose even higher.

"I'll take that as a yes." Eugene dropped down dejectedly onto a log the guards used as a stepstool and sighed. "This day just keeps getting worse. First, someone was throwing rocks at my window—"

Maximus snorted and finally turned to glare at Eugene.

"What?" Eugene quipped. "…Were you the one throwing rocks? How?"

Maximus demonstrated his rock throwing ability by grabbing some pebbles in his mouth and swinging his neck around, showering Eugene with them.

"Hey! Okay, okay! So what did you want?" Eugene said, shaking his head to get the rocks out of his hair.

Maximus motioned for Eugene to get in the saddle.

"…Seriously?"

Snort.

"Fine. But we can't be gone long, okay? I have to sit for a portrait artist in a couple hours." Eugene ignored the evil laughing neigh from the horse as he sat in the saddle and grabbed the reins. "And whatever we do, I can't mess these clothes up. They're brand new."

Maximus snorted again and immediately jumped into a gallop, nearly knocking Eugene out of the saddle. He neighed happily as Eugene yelped in fear.

They raced through the city for several minutes before Maximus halted in front of an earl's townhouse. The place was huge at four stories. Most homes in the city were two or three stories at the most and made of wood. Earl Stephan had his mansion made of marble to show off his wealth. The King had scoffed at the display, but the Earl didn't seem to care. The Earl didn't seem to care about anything the King did, actually, Eugene had noticed.

"Why did you stop here?" Eugene asked as he dismounted.

Maximus looked at a carriage nearby and then back at Eugene pointedly.

Eugene examined the carriage and his mouth slid open as he recognized the royal seal decorating the door. It was a carriage from the neighboring kingdom, which was ruled by a very young unmarried king. Eugene narrowed his eyes at the carriage. He knew why it was here. Maximus noticed the recognition and stomped his hoof angrily.

"Well, Max. It looks like I'm going to make an enemy today." He knocked on the great, intricately carved mahogany door and waited. A maid answered and he introduced himself unnecessarily. "My name is Eugene Fitzherbert, future Prince Consort. May I speak with Earl Stephan and his majesty King Marcel?"

An hour later, he emerged from the mansion shaking the young king's hand.

"Thanks, Marc, for understanding. I really can't stress enough how much your friendship means to me."

"Ah, no problem," Marcel said, laughing. "Good luck with the Princess Rapunzel. I hope we may see each other again soon."

"I promise we will," Eugene laughed as well. "Good luck with the ruling a country thing. That sounds pretty tough."

"It's not all bad," Marcel shrugged. The two men waved amiably at each other and the door to the mansion closed.

Maximus stared at Eugene, his mouth and eyes wide open in shock.

"What?" Eugene asked. "He liked that I didn't treat him like everyone else does. He appreciated my _honesty_."

Maximus snorted.

When they arrived back at the castle's stables, Maximus slid to a stop, making Eugene slide as well. He landed in the dirt in a crumpled heap.

"Max," he groaned. "What was that for?"

Maximus just pranced around happily. As Eugene picked himself, he heard a girly scream come from above him. He squinted up at his window and saw Peter, his servant, standing there, pointing at him with a soundless scream.

"What the—"

"Master Fitzherbert, your clothes!" Peter managed to shout. Eugene flinched, as always when someone called him 'master'.

But then when he realized what Peter had shouted, Eugene quickly looked at his clothes and started freaking out. "Oh no. Oh no. Blondie's gonna _kill_ me."

"Wait. Right. There," Peter commanded, emphasizing his request with pauses. "I will be right there, sir."

Eugene just clutched his dirtied vest in dismay. Maximus looked at him, confused. The castle door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang as Peter sprinted towards Eugene with a bundle of clean clothes in his hands. Eugene was still mumbling about Rapunzel killing him, so Peter took initiative and pushed Eugene into a stall to get a little privacy. Maximus stood in front of the stall opening, offering some more seclusion.

Less than a minute later, Eugene had fresh clothes and had calmed down somewhat. Peter slid down the wall of the stall, exhausted.

Eugene calmed down enough to watch his servant for a moment.

"Thanks, Peter. For everything," he said.

"Everything?" Peter panted. "What do you mean?"

"Well, putting up with me for one thing." Eugene knelt down next to him. "I gave you a rough time."

Peter shrugged. "My older brother was just like you."

Eugene frowned. "Was?"

"Yeah. He was a soldier. He died when I was eight. He was much older than me, so I always looked up to him."

Eugene's empathetic frown turned into a deadpan look as he wondered something aloud. "How long has the princess known this?"

Peter smiled up at him. "Since the first week she was here."

"Of course." Eugene stood up, offering a hand to Peter to help him. "Well, this is the start of a new beginning, Lucy."

"My name isn't Lucy!"

Eugene arrived at the throne room just before a search party was sent out.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Fitzherbert," the Queen said. Rapunzel stood a few steps away from her, looking at the floor.

"Sorry, your majesty. I had some business to take care of."

The Queen nodded and left to summon the painter, leaving the two of them alone.

"So," Eugene said awkwardly. "You had The Talk?"

Rapunzel blushed and refused to look at him.

"Well, if you're not ready for marriage or anything like that, I can wait. I promise." He smiled and held out his hand. Rapunzel finally looked up at him from under her eyelashes. Slowly, she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug.

"I love you, Eugene," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

He smiled into her hair. "I love you, too, Blondie."

Rapunzel pulled away from him, frowning at his vest. "Eugene. Why are you wearing the pink vest?"

"Peter!"


	5. The Storm

**AN: **Okay. First, sorry it's been so long since I last updated. School was more difficult than I thought it would be, but luckily I kept my GPA up enough to stay in the honors program.

Second, I tried to write another oneshot that answered the King Marcel/Earl Stephan questions, but it just didn't work. So here's what happened: King Marcel was going to propose to Rapunzel in order to unite their kingdoms, Max got Eugene to stop him, and Marcel ended up liking Eugene, so he left and Earl Stephan didn't gain anything.

Third, Peter is a boy, if you were confused. I thought it would be funny that since he didn't want Eugene to know anything about him, Eugene would just try to bother him by calling him girls' names. A lot of you liked that, and I'm glad!

Fourth, I love you guys. Seriously. Thanks for all the adds and reviews. I appreciate each one of them.

**5. The Storm**

It's the first major storm since she's been in the castle, and Rapunzel is terrified. Storms never really occurred around the tower; the cliffs protected it from all but rain and the distant sound of thunder. Here at the castle, though, the rain comes in heavy torrents, lightning flashes brightly in the night sky, and thunder rattles the windows in their sills. Rapunzel clutches her sheets around her. Pascal nuzzles her neck and chirps reassuringly. She is determined to stay in her room and not run for Eugene. She is stronger than –

Lightning lights up the room, followed by a loud boom of thunder. Rapunzel gasps.

"I'm alright, Pascal," she says breathlessly. "It's just a little storm. I'm not freaking out, are you freaking out?"

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Both Rapunzel and Pascal scream in terror and hide under the covers. When Eugene calls out her name, she pokes her head back out and sighs in relief. He's standing in her doorway, wearing loose pants and an old undershirt.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Just me? What do you mean, just me?" Eugene replies, standing with his hands on his hips in mock annoyance as more lightning flashes. Rapunzel flinches and Pascal trembles against her neck. "And here I came to rescue you from the terrible thunder and lightning. Well, I guess I'll be going now—"

"No!" Eugene turns back around as Rapunzel jumps out of her bed. He looks surprised at her appearance. Despite their late nights together, this is the first time he's seen her in her silk nightgown. Thunder booms loudly in the distance, scaring Rapunzel, so she runs and jumps into Eugene's arms. "Sorry… I just… I never knew that storms could be like this."

Pascal climbs up onto Eugene's shoulder and shivers there, equally frightened.

"Well, this one's actually not that bad. I've seen way worse than this, Blondie."

"Worse than this?" she exclaims, still clutching him.

"Yeah, there're these storms called tornadoes, and they are way scarier than this little thunderstorm."

Rapunzel looks up at him with wide eyes. "How can they be scarier than _this_?"

Eugene shrugs. "Well, for one thing, the wind is much stronger. It can even rip trees out of the ground and carry things hundreds of miles away."

She can't believe that a storm could cause so much destruction. She wonders what the storm looks like and imagines all these different things, but those thoughts terrify her further. Her face presses against Eugene's shirt and she feels better against his warmth.

To her embarrassment, Eugene laughs.

"What's so funny?" she mumbles against his chest.

"You don't need to be worried about tornadoes. This kingdom has never had any, and it's unlikely that we will."

"Eugene, I'm scared."

He rests his head on top of hers and rubs her back reassuringly. "Well, why don't we do something to take your mind off of things?"

She nods.

"Alright, what do you want to do? Wanna teach me how to paint? I don't think I'd be very good at it, though. You could teach me some of that economics stuff you learned today. Actually, I don't think I'd be very good at that, either. Why don't I start a fire and we could sit and think about what to do, hm?"

"Okay," Rapunzel says. "And I think you'd be a wonderful economist. As long as you didn't cheat people on their taxes or something. Or steal. Or forge anything."

"Thanks, Goldie, for your faith in me." He starts to pull away so she lets go of him. He tilts her face up so she can look in his eyes and is startled to find that she's been crying. He wipes away the tear tracks with his thumbs as he cradles her face. "Hey. You're going to be okay."

She smiles weakly. "I know. I'm just frustrated with myself. I wanted to be tough, like you are, Eugene."

His worried expression turns into one of understanding. "Blondie, you're the toughest person I know. You faced those guys at the Snuggly Ducking and got them to start singing and dancing. You saved us from drowning. And, you know, brought me back to life with a magic tear. Don't ever think you're not strong."

Suddenly, Rapunzel feels renewed pride in herself. Her shoulders straighten proudly. "I did rescue you quite a bit, didn't I? The bar, the dam, the cave, then the whole getting stabbed thing."

He scoffs playfully. "Yeah, but none of that would have happened if I hadn't heroically rescued you from your tower."

"I seem to remember that differently. Didn't I _force_ you to guide me out of the tower?" she says with a smirk. She must have learned that from him.

Eugene gives up. "Say, why don't I start a fire? Yeah, I think I'll do that."

When he finally gets the fire going in the huge fireplace in her sitting area, he pulls a blanket off of her bed and wraps it around her. She's curled up on an elegant, gilded couch with Pascal resting in her lap. The rain continues to fall heavily, but the thunder seems more distant than it had been.

"So what do you want to do?" Eugene asks, collapsing next to her on the couch. "We could play a game. You could tell me how handsome I am. I'd like that."

Finally, she smiles. "I don't think so. We don't want you getting a bigger ego than you already have."

"There's no such thing as a big ego," he says in mock outrage.

"Sure."

"Well, there isn't."

"We could play cards!"

For a second, Eugene is confused. "Oh, you mean we could do that instead of admiring my looks? I don't have any cards, do you?"

Her shoulders sink. "No. What else could we do?"

He thinks for a moment and doesn't come up with anything. So he just starts talking. And immediately wishes he hadn't. "Your parents told me I could propose to you."

She frowns in confusion. "Huh?"

"Well, I guess normally future queens do the proposing, but since you're still figuring things out they said they didn't mind if I did it." He tries not to look at her, and instead starts to massage her feet.

"Hm. So do you want to propose to me, Eugene?"

He can tell she's trying to be flirty and she's probably fluttering those long eyelashes, but he refuses to give in. "Maybe."

She pulls her feet away and moves closer to him. "Come on, don't you want to be married to me? We could spend every single moment together. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Blondie, we already do spend almost every single moment together," he points out. He's glad he's turned her attention away from the storm, but really. Flynn Rider would never have gotten himself into this position. "And besides, we've only known each other a year."

Rapunzel frowns. "Father and Mother only knew each other three months before they got married."

_Damn._ Leave it to Blondie over here to come up with an example like that.

"And don't you want to be able to kiss me more? I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I was thinking that if we got married, we could kiss anytime we wanted and not get in trouble."

Oops. Now he feels bad for making her worry about him being uncomfortable. Which he never is when they kiss. When her lips are on his, he's definitely not _uncomfortable_, except in the good way. Ahem.

"We don't need to rush into it, is what I'm saying," Eugene finally says.

"But we can still kiss, right?" Rapunzel asks, looking excited and anxious at the same time.

He smiles. "Of course. In fact, why don't we kiss right now?"

She grins and leans toward him. They've never planned a kiss, per se. It just seems to happen, in the heat of a moment. Reading an exciting book together. Standing in the rain because she likes to feel the wet ground beneath her feet. Realizing he's not dead anymore.

So as he leans in to close the distance between them, he feels a little nervous. When their lips finally meet, the nerves completely disappear.

Eugene is kissing her and it's like flying. This feeling is so close to how she felt when she used to hair to leave the tower, falling and falling into freedom. But it's so much more. He's sighing her name as he pulls back to take a breath and she looks up at him and he smiles and she knows she doesn't have to worry. She's glad Pascal is finally asleep on the arm of the couch, behind her where he can't see. She smiles back at Eugene, and she can see his desperation when it returns as he leans in again.

He kisses her again. His hands are grabbing her upper arms, pressing her back against the couch cushion, and her hands are wrapped around his neck. Her fingers sink into the soft hair at the nape of his neck and twist, gently pulling on the thick strands. He moans softly, quietly, and it sends strange tingles throughout her body. His hands move up to her own hair, still so short and no longer golden. She pushes the bad thought away and enjoys how his fingers are running through her hair, down her cheek, and back down to the small of her back.

She feels like her skin is on fire and the only way to put it out to get closer to Eugene, so she moves to sit in his lap and he groans and she sighs and it's magic. His arms wrap around her, so tight, and he moves his lips from her mouth to her jaw, to her throat.

She loves kissing Eugene. But this feeling is starting to scare her.

"Stop," she whispers. He doesn't seem to hear, so she says it louder and pushes against him. "Stop, Eugene!"

He immediately pulls away and looks at her with the saddest, most dejected face she has ever seen. It breaks her heart.

"Sorry," she says. "I just… That felt so good but I got scared because I've never felt like that before and—"

"No, Rapunzel," Eugene interrupts. "I'm sorry. I keep going too far. It's not your fault."

"I do like kissing you," she says cheerfully.

He chuckles. "I like kissing you, too."

"So what do we do now?" she asks. Suddenly she feels really sleepy and she must show it, because Eugene picks her up from the couch and lays her down on her bed. As he pulls the covers over her, she grabs his hand. "Will you stay, Eugene?"

He thinks about staying. He really does, and he really wants to. But it's probably not a good idea. "I don't think you parents would appreciate that."

"Parents, shmarents," she says sleepily, and he wonders where she learned that cliché.

"Good night, Goldie," he says. He leans down and kisses her cheek.

"I love you, Eugene."

"I love you, too, Rapunzel."


End file.
